The federal government has threatened to expose prominent
Nigerians who made pledges at the special appeal fund launch for victims of
2012 flood disaster if by June 30 they fail to
redeem those pledges.
About N11.35
billion of those pledges are yet to be redeemed even as this class of Nigerians
had gone ahead to enjoy the attached tax incentives.
In a
statement in Lagos,
yesterday, the Presidential Flood Relief and Rehabilitation Committee co-chairmen, Alhaji Aliko
Dangote and
Barrister Olisa
Agbakoba stressed
that the names of defaulters would be published in the newspapers and other
social media blogs.
The statement
advised the defaulters to respect themselves and maintain their honour and
integrity, just as the committee vowed to go ahead and publish their names in
the media.
The statement
revealed that Dangote and the Federal Government top the list of donors with N2. 5
billion apiece, while Chairman of Visafone, Jim
Ovia, and Chairman of HEIRS Holdings, Tony
Elumelu followed
suit with N1 billion each.
It stated
that Minister of Petroleum,
Deziani Alison and her Telecommunication counterpart had also pledged to
mobilise the Indigenous Oil Companies and Telecommunications firms, which were invited but were
conspicuously absent at the dinner to respond to the fund raising.
The committee
said that in order to motivate and encourage the audience to donate
bountifully, President Jonathan had announced tax incentives for all
corporate organisations that would donate into the flood relief fund meant to alleviate the
sufferings of Nigerians who were affected by the flood disaster that that year.
Obviously
miffed at the reluctance of the pledge makers to live up to their words even
when the committee was about to move to the next stage of its assignment, the
rehabilitation of the victims.
The statement
titled ‘Public Notice:
Redemption of Pledges’ read in part “the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation expresses
its profound gratitude and appreciation to all who answered the clarion call to
be our brothers’ keepers through their generous donations and pledges at its
fund raising dinner in November 2012 for the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims in Nigeria.
We thank you immensely.
“As we
proceed to the implementation stage of the planned rehabilitation projects, we
hereby call on all those who have not redeemed their pledges to please do so on
or before June 30, 2013 as a mark of honour and integrity as names of
defaulters will be announced in all national dailies and social media blogs.
“Once again
we thank you and look forward to receiving the proceeds of all pledges made.”
Meanwhile
preparatory to the fund raiser, the committee had divided itself into groups
and visited the victims in all the states affected by the flood.
It would be
recalled that the 34 man committee is targeting a sum of N100 billion.
Source:
Leadership
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